Late Paleocene-Early Eocene Paleosols and a New Measure of the Transport Distance of Alaska's Yakutat Terrane

An intensely weathered paleosol representing a nearly isochronous landscape exists at many places in continental Late Paleocene-Early Eocene strata in North America. Most commonly, a single siderite spherule-bearing horizon is found, from which O-18 values were obtained to construct a paleolatitudinal gradient for Late Paleocene-Early Eocene North America. Comparison of the paleosol siderite spherule O-18 composition from the displaced Yakutat Terrane of Alaska to the North American paleolatitudinal gradient indicates that during the Late Paleocene-Early Eocene the terrane existed at approximate to 44 degrees paleonorth, thus supporting hypotheses for a far-traveled terrane history.